Last for making shoes



LAST FOR MAKING SHOES Filed Oct. 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l .6 mm W mm m V 7 T 4 Nov.- 10, 1942. A, TUMMILLO 2,301,345

LAST FOR MAKING SHOES Filed Oct. 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. AN w/o/w 70/w/v/4 L 0 4 TTOE/VE Y5 Patented Nov. 10, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAST FOR MAKING SHOES Anthony Tummillo, Hackensack, N. J.

Application October 16, 1941, Serial No. 415,177

7 Claims.

This invention relates to lasts for making shoes.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a last for making shoes in which the foot of the wearer will be evenly balanced and the weight of the body evenly distributed over the whole foot, so that the bones in the foot will support that proportion of the weight for which they are naturally intended.

Another object is to provide a last so designed that it will prevent the usual excessive wearing of the sole and heel on the outside thereof.

A further object is to provide a last which will carry the weight of the body to the center of the shoe.

Still a further object is to provide a last that will prevent biting over the toes and slipping at the heels, avoid rubbing against the flesh and, in general, provide for greater comfort.

A still further object is to provide an in-sole and a shoe incorporating such in-sole and embodying the afore-said features.

The present invention also has for its object to provide a shoe or similar article of increased wearing qualities and which will support the contour of the foot tightly in its most advantageous position for comfort and health and which will eliminate completely nerve pressure at any one particular point over the other.

Still another object is to provide an inner sole that will carr the weight" and support of the body evenly.

Other objects and advantages inherent in the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a last according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Figures 3, l, 5, and 6 are sections taken along the lines 3-3, 4-4, 55 and 66, respectively, of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary section of a shoe made from a last according to the invention;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a last of a lady's shoe according to the invention;

Figure 9 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Figure 10 is an end view;

Figure 11 is a section taken along the line |l-|l of Figures 9 and 10.

It has been noted that the average shoe has a tendency to throw the foot to the outside or to the right on the right foot and to the left on the left foot. The sole as well as the heel, as

a result thereof, are less resistant to wear. Furthermore, normal application of weight to the bottom of the foot is hence shifted to the outside of the shoe rather than remaining constant from the center to the sides in even proportions.

The purpose of the instant invention is to correct this defect in the standard lasts, and, referring in greater detail to the drawings, the last according to the invention is substantially straight and is equally balanced on each side of the longitudinal center line ill-40. In other words, the width on each longitudinal center line is substantially the same. The bottom surface of the heel seat I l is raised along the inside at I2 and slopes downwardly towards the longitudinal center line. The resultant recess in the insole will provide a seat for the portion of the heel corresponding to the scaphoid bone.

The shank M from the end of the heel seat I l to the portion l5 corresponding to the ball of the foot is recessed or hollowed out to correspond to the arch of the wearer. It will be noted, however, that by reason of the fact that the last is straight, the inner sole made therefrom will have substantially the same width as the widest portion of the arch of the wearer. By virtue of this construction, the first cuneform and the navicular bones will be firmly supported and the longitudinal arch will be prevented from spreading or turning when the portion corresponding to the scaphoid bone settles in position in the recess in the heel seat II.

The portion l6 corresponding to the position of the first metatarsal is raised to provide a slight bulge. This bulge will produce a corresponding indentation in the inner sole for the head of the first metatarsal to fit into. The last is again recessed or ground down along the portion H, which corresponds to the position of the first proximinal phalanx and is then again raised or provided with a slight bulge along the portion I8 which corresponds to the position of the first distal phalanx.

Therefore, the in-sole shaped from this last will have a slightly raised portion for supporting the first proximinal phalanx and will have an indentation for accommodating the first distal phalanx.

The outside of the last is provided with a bulge I9 which slopes from the toe to the heel. The bulge l9 reaches its greatest accentuation from above the point corresponding to the position of the fifth metatarsal to the position corresponding to the astragalus. By virtue of this bulge, there will be more room for the little toe to set down in a normal position and the fleshy part of the foot from the head of the fifth metatarsal to the heel bone will have its own place to fit into. Furthermore, this bulge will prevent the shoe from spreading and turning over.

The heel of the last is ground down or re cessed at either inside, as shown at 20 and 2|. These recesses will prevent the heel of the shoe from slipping and gaping.

The instep 2i extending from the ball of the foot to the top of the last is provided with a slight bulge on the inside thereof and on the top, By virtue of this construction, pressure on the nerves of the instep will be eliminated.

It will be understood that the in-sole 22 shaped from the last according to the invention will have an indentation for the head of the first metatarsal. The heel on the inside will also have a slight indentation for the heel bone to fit into.

The inside of the shank will be raised to support the longitudinal arch and the middle of the in-sole will be raised to slope upwards from the center towards the outside edge to hold the foot in position so that it will not turn towards the outside.

Figure '7 shows a section of a shoe embodying the aforesaid in-sole. The in-sole 22 is attached to the uppers and to the outer sole 23 by means of stitching or other forms of attachment 24. The in-sole 22 is spaced from the outer sole 23 by means of a cork filling 25 which serves to retain the shape of the in-sole and cushion it against the outer sole. A welt 26 is interposed between the uppers and the outer sole 23. By virtue of the bulge l9 at the heel, the last provides for a greater Width at the heel, This construction gives the foot a natural settlement. To offset such natural settlement of the flesh of the heel to the bottom, the upper part of the last is narrow so as to bring about a form-fitting shoe starting from the base of the heel and closing in tightly around the heel up to the top of the shoe immediately under the anlde bone. Thus the entire upper circumference of the opening of the shoe will fit firmly around the foot without any openings and grip the foot for proper position.

It will also be seen that a shoe constructed from the aforesaid last will eliminate the pressure on the outside of the small toe and will also prevent the shoe from biting over the large toe. It will also eliminate creases in the shoe at the top of the first and fifth proximinal phalanx, and thereby create greater comfort and avoid rubbing against the flesh which covers said fifth proximinal phalanx. Shoes made from standard last require what is commonly referred to as breaking in in order to shape the shoe for the weight of the wearer. The necessity of breaking in a shoe by having the various bones and the flesh of the foot find a proper level and be firmly supported is eliminated when a shoe is constructed from the last according to the invention.

The modification shown in Figures 8 to 11 is in all essential respects similar to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7, except that it is equipped with a heel 27. However, the balancing is the same as in the embodiment described in detail.

Figure illustrates particularly the straight lines of the shoe and the equal division and balancing on each side of the center line, Thus the heel of the shoe, as shown on Figure 1, will be exactly between the positions occupied by the first and fifth metatarsal.

It will be understood that the instant disclosure is given by way of example only and not by way of limitation. On the other hand, the invention may find expression in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A last for making shoes, the bottom surface of which has a substantially equal Width on each side of a central line running from toe to heel, the inside of said surface corresponding to the position of the scaphoid bone being raised and sloping toward said central line and the outside of said heel seat along a portion of the outside thereof being recessed from said central line, whereby the heel of the wearer of a shoe made from said last will rest deeper on its inside than its outside, the shank of said last being substantially straight and in alignment with the sides of said last, said shank being hollowed out from a point adjacent the longitudinal center towards the inside from a point adjacent the end of said heel seat to a position corresponding to the ball of the foot, whereby the arch of the insole made from said last will support the arch of the foot when the portion corresponding to the scaphoid bone settles in position.

2. A last for making shoes, the bottom surface of which has a substantially equal width on each side of a central line running from toe to heel, the inside of said surface from the heel seat to the rear end of the last being raised and the outside of said heel seat along a portion of the outside thereof being recessed, whereby the heel of the wearer of a shoe made from said last will rest deeper on its inside than its outside, the shank of said last being substantially straight and in alignment with the sides of said last, said shank being hollowed out from a point adjacent the longitudinal center towards the inside from a point adjacent the end of said heel seat to a position corresponding to the ball of the foot, whereby the arch of the in-sole made from said last will have a width substantially equal to the width of the shank, and that portion of the last corresponding to the first metatarsal being raised.

3. A last for making shoes, the bottom surface of which has a substantially equal width on each side of a central line running from toe to heel, the inside of said surface from the heel seat to the rear end of the last being raised and the outside of said heel seat along a portion of the outside thereof being recessed, whereby the heel of the wearer of a shoe made from said last will rest deeper on its inside than its outside, the shank of said last being substantially straight and in alignment with the sides of said last, said shank being hollowed out from a point adjacent the longitudinal center towards the inside from a point adjacent the end of said heel seat to a position corresponding to the ball of the foot, whereby the arch of the in-sole made from said last will have a width substantially equal to the Width of the shank, that portion of the last corresponding to the first metatarsal being raised, whereas that portion corresponding to the first proximinal phalanx is recessed.

4. A last for making shoes, the bottom surface of which has a substantially equal width on each side of a central line running from toe to heel, the inside of said surface from the heel seat to the rear end of the last being raised and the outside of said heel seat along a portion of the outfoot, whereby the arch of the in-sole made from I said last will have a width substantially equal to the width of the shank, that portion of the last corresponding to the first metatarsal being raised whereas that portion corresponding to the first proximinal phalanx is recessed and that H portion corresponding to the first distal phalanx again being raised.

5. A last for making shoes, the bottom surface of which has a substantially equal width on each side of a central line running from toe to heel, the inside of said surface from the heel seat to the rear end of the last being raised and the outside of said heel seat along a portion of the outside thereof being recessed, whereby the heel of the wearer of a shoe made from said last will rest deeper on its inside than its outside, and the outside of said last from the heel seat to the toe being slanted downwards towards the longitudinal center so that the shoe shaped therefrom will be higher along the outside whereby the Weight of the body of the wearer will be centralized in the middle of the shank.

6. A last for making shoes, the bottom surface of which has a substantially equal width on each side of a central line running from toe to heel, the inside of said surface from the heel seat to the rear end of the last being raised and the outside of said heel seat along a portion of the outside thereof being recessed, whereby the heel of the wearer of a shoe made from said last will rest deeper on its inside than on its outside, the shank of said last being substantially straight and in alignment with the sides of said last, said shank being hollowed out from a point adjacent the longitudinal center towards the inside from a point adjacent the end of said heel seat to a position corresponding to the ball of the foot, whereby the arch of the in-sole made from said last will have a width substantially equal to the width of the shank, that portion of the last corresponding to the first metatarsal being raised whereas that portion corresponding to the first proxirninal phalanx is recessed and that portion corresponding to the first distal phalanX again being raised, and the outside of said last from the heel seat to the toe being slanted downwardly towards the longitudinal center so that the shoe shaped therefrom will be higher along the outside whereby the weight of the body of the wearer will be centralized in the middle of the shank.

'7. A last for making shoes, the bottom surface of which has a substantially equal width on each side of a central line running from toe to heel, the inside of said surface from the heel seat to the rear end of the last being raised and the outside of said heel seat along a portion of the outside thereof being recessed, whereby the heel of the wearer of a shoe made from said last will rest deeper on its inside than on its outside, the shank of said last being substantially straight and in alignment with the sides of said last, said shank being hollowed out from a point adjacent the longitudinal center towards the inside from a point adjacent the end of said heel seat to a position corresponding to the ball of the foot, whereby the arch of the in-sole made from said lastwill have a width substantially equal to the width of the shank, that portion of the last corresponding to the first metatarsal being raised whereas that portion corresponding to the first proximinal phalanx is recessed and that portion corresponding to the first distal phalanx again being raised, and the outside bottom surface of said last from the heel seat to the toe bein slanted downwardly towards the longitudinal center so that the shoe shaped therefrom will be higher along the outside whereby the weight of the body of the wearer will be centralized in the middle of the shank, and a bulging portion on the outside top surface of said last arching from the toe to the heel whereby increased space will i be provided for the small toe and the fieshy part of the foot between the fifth metatarsal and the heel bone.

, ANTHOIIY TUltiMILLO. 

